Objection!
by increak96
Summary: Ever since Edgeworth determined the truth was more important than a guilty verdict, he's been helping Phoenix out a great deal. But on this one occasion... it goes just a little too far, and Phoenix has to put his foot down. ONESHOT!


**A\N: First AA fanfic! Plz be nice to meee~! And leave a review to tell me how I did. ^^**

**Um... not much to say on this. What CAN I say? Edgeworth is fabulous. Phoenix is amazing. The two of them together in the same fic... you can't beat it!**

**So please, read and enjoy!  
**

**(I should tell you, I had to disable my PM, so I won't be able to reply, but if you go here:  
**

* * *

"Objection!" Phoenix shook his head. "Mr. Carlson, didn't you just say you were driving to the victim's house during the murder? Now you're saying you were at a restaurant!"

The young man shrugged his shoulders, flashing a million dollar smile. "Does that really matter, Mr. Wright? I wasn't there. That's the only important part."

Phoenix smirked, hands on his hips. The tense atmosphere was starting to break the witness down. "Wrong. It's important because—"

"—it takes credibility away from your testimony." Edgeworth shook his head, chuckling softly. "Besides. You weren't in either of those places at the time of the murder. You were, in fact, at the victim's house!"

Mr. Carlson jumped, shock registering on his face. "Y-you have no proof of that…"

"Objection!" Phoenix opened his files and grabbed the testimony from the next door neighbor along with a security tape. "We do have proof! The—"

"Neighbor next door said that she saw you enter just before the murder, and you left twelve minutes later. She was very precise." Edgeworth laughed again. "Besides. We have it on tape."

"Grnk!" The eccentric ladies' man jumped back, hand over his heart. "Th-that's ridiculous!"

The court erupted in murmurs and surprised gasps, chattering amongst themselves.

"Not at all." Edgeworth grinned as the crowds quieted.

"B-but there were no fingerprints! This is all conjecture!"

"Objection!" Phoenix took a deep breath, making yet another attempt to do his job. "We may not have found fingerprints on the knife, but your fingerprints were—"

Edgeworth cut in yet again. "They were all over the item that was stolen from her apartment." The prosecutor's hand slammed down on the table. "Mr. Carlson! At 2:21 AM on August the twelfth, you entered the victim's apartment, stabbed her three times with a knife, stole the diamonds from her safe, and then planted the weapon in David Cleveland's bag!"

Mr. Carlson hugged himself, shaking his head furiously. "N-no! It—It wasn't supposed to go like this! Y-you! You shouldn't have figured this out!"

Phoenix scowled, grumbling under his breath. "No, he shouldn't have…" The man quickly slipped into hysterics, his story coming tumbling out as Wright began to pack up the evidence and files. The case was as good as closed. And he had done next to nothing.

"Well… considering all that has transpired…" The Judge's voice came from somewhere in the distance, Phoenix's mind more occupied with thoughts towards a certain prosecutor. "This court finds the defendant David Cleveland… not guilty!"

Confetti exploded from the ceiling, showering them all in colored paper scraps, but Phoenix wasn't in any mood to celebrate. He had a horrible, sour taste in his mouth. David was standing with Edgeworth, thanking him exuberantly. Edgeworth gestured to Phoenix, and while he couldn't hear the words, he had a feeling Miles was trying to give him credit.

_Well, gee thanks._

Phoenix let out a huff and exited the courtroom, leaving all the wonderful hullabaloo behind. Edgeworth followed him out, trying to avoid the press and David's family members.

"Well done, Wright," Edgeworth commented, shutting the door and falling in step behind the young lawyer.

Phoenix rolled his eyes, still fuming inside. "It doesn't take much to shout 'objection'."

Edgeworth smirked at him, eyes practically screaming superiority. "Now, Wright. It takes much more than a quick shout to win a case."

"Really? Does it? I wouldn't know. Someone seems to be solving my cases for me." Phoenix desperately tried to reign in the bitter tone in his voice, but with every passing second, his anger escalated, and it got harder to keep his mouth shut.

Edgeworth frowned at him, brow scrunching up. "What are you saying? You don't want my help?"

Phoenix let out a frustrated sound he couldn't quite describe. "There's a difference between 'helping me' and 'doing my job for me'. How do you expect me to get paid now? They'll do just what Larry did and grab a freebie when I'm not looking. I can't really force them to pay—considering I didn't _do _anything!" Phoenix picked up his pace, jacket flapping.

Edgeworth laughed softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Wright, it was just one case."

Phoenix jerked away, scoffing as loudly and as obnoxiously as he knew how. "That's easy for you to say! You have an office on the twelfth floor, you drive a fancy red sports car, and every day you wear that glorified ascot along with the rest of your pricey ensemble!"

"It's a cravat," Edgeworth mumbled bitterly, not making much of an attempt to keep up.

"I don't care what it is! All I know is that I haven't had a case in three months, and I don't know how I'm going to get food in my apartment—if I even have one by the end of the month!"

Phoenix's vision blurred, anger coursing through his body. It wasn't like he was blaming Miles for being rich. He had been blessed—Phoenix was happy for him! Still, Edgeworth had to consider Phoenix's living conditions and how every case affected his livelihood!

"Wright, it can't possibly be that bad. If you like, I can get you put on another case by next week."

"You're missing the point, Miles!" Phoenix whirled on him, using his first name in an attempt to get him to understand how serious this was. "The point is: I'm a defense attorney, and _you're_ a prosecuting attorney! But you're up there defending _my _clients. I don't know if you're trying to be nice, or if you're trying to make it up to your dad, or maybe you're really as arrogant as you look, but whatever it is, it has to stop!" Phoenix whirled back around, storming towards the elevators. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go home and crunch some numbers! That's code for 'try to pay the bills' by the way. I wouldn't expect a rich prosecutor like you to know."

With that final statement he stormed into the elevator and hit the close door button followed by the digit that would take him to the ground level.

He glared at Edgeworth's furious expression until the doors closed. Then he leaned back against the wall, letting out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

_Maybe that was too harsh… he _was _just trying to help after all._

He shook his head suddenly.

_No! It wasn't too harsh—it was the truth. I need that money. Edgeworth doesn't. And he knew that._

There was no way he was going to get paid for this case. He hadn't presented a sing shred of evidence. In fact, he hadn't completed more than one or two sentences during the entire trial. Even if Edgeworth had intended to help him, the impact on Phoenix was not going to be good.

He pulled his wallet out, looking inside and shaking his head. Four dollars.

_Oh, boy…_

* * *

Edgeworth glared at the closing elevator doors before turning sharply and making his way towards the stairs, fists shoved into his pockets.

_What's his problem? I was just trying to help him. There's no reason to throw a fit about it!_

He got to the bottom of the stairwell and exited the courthouse, storming his way towards the parking garage, every step motivated by anger and just a little bit of hurt.

_Well, if he wants me to be the prosecutor, I'll do just that. And I'll make sure he never wins a case again!_

Edgeworth's head jerked as a drop of water splashed on the back of his neck, and he looked to the quickly graying sky. More water droplets hit his face, and he hurried under the overhang of the parking garage as a massive downpour let loose.

He hurried over to his car, which was parked on the ground level, and got in, turning on the ignition and sitting silently for a few moments, letting some of his anger seep out.

_Phoenix doesn't have a car… is he walking home in this? He better not be._

Edgeworth sighed, shaking his head, and he started the ignition, putting the car in gear and sliding it out of the parking space. He exited the garage and started down the road towards home, windshield wipers on high.

Edgeworth lived in a nice house set back away from the city so he didn't have to deal with heavy traffic, and for this he was thankful.

_I wonder if Wright is around a lot of traffic… he's probably soaked… he better not jaywalk. _Edgeworth shook his head. _Why do I care? I'm mad at him! He wouldn't want my help if I offered, anyways. It's a fruitless effort._

Edgeworth gripped the wheel a little tighter, feeling the anger swell in his chest again. He let out a long stream of air, calming himself and pushing back the bit of worry that still nibbled at the back of his mind.

_Wright is a grown man and can handle himself. I need to focus on getting home and resting up before the next trial._

Fifteen minutes later, he pulled into his garage and got out of the car, walking into his house and going straight upstairs to bed. He kicked off his shoes and removed his shirt, not even bothering with his pants before he tumbled onto the king sized bed, face down in the crimson sheets. No sooner had his body hit the mattress then he lost consciousness.

* * *

Phoenix grumbled under his breath, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, a violent shudder moving through his body.

_Stupid! You lock yourself out of the office and leave your umbrella inside. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Who does that Phoenix? Tell me who does that. Honestly. Tell me now._

Lightning split the sky, followed by rolling thunder, and Phoenix jumped, ducking his head into the crook of his arm and shuddering.

He wasn't scared of thunderstorms or anything. He was more… cautious of them. Yes, that's what he was. Cautious.

The thunder rumbled again, and Phoenix let out a whimper, pushing himself further into the corner.

_Can't the bloody storm just pass so I can go home?!_

He had been sitting here for hours. How many hours, he didn't quite know, but it hadn't been dark when he'd left the courthouse, and it was most definitely pitch black now. Phoenix didn't care much for the dark either.

A childish whine escaped him, and he screwed his eyes shut, trying not to picture all the things that could happen to an unarmed man in the dead of night in a big city.

_There's no reason to be scared, Phoenix. You're a grown man—you can take care of yourself!_

"Yeah, right," he mumbled, knowing that was a complete lie. He had been a failure in P.E. class and very prone to sickness ever since he was a child. He was not the brawny type at all.

_Oh, well… might as well try to get some sleep…_

Phoenix slowly leaned back against the wall, letting his head rest on the cool bricks. His sopping wet suit clung to him as he shifted, his water sloshing up past his ankles. He closed his eyes slowly and let out a long stream of air, relaxing every muscle in his body and trying to slip into the realms of the unconscious.

SCREECH!

Phoenix jumped awake, letting out a shout as he heard the scream of tires on wet pavement, headlights flashing into his line of vision. He froze on the spot, eyes wide, unable to lift himself from the ground.

A vehicle of some sort was speeding towards him, waters spraying up as the tires spiraled through the puddles. Every inch of his body was screaming at him to move. That this driver was drunk and going to crash into the building. But he couldn't move. He couldn't move one muscle.

The car stopped just a few feet away from him, turning so Phoenix was facing the right side of the bright red sports car.

"Wh-who's there?" he called over the torrent, ashamed at his quivering voice.

"What are you doing?" A familiar prosecutor came around the front of the car, opening the passenger side door and grabbing Phoenix's arm. "Get in the car! You'll catch your death or be mugged or something!"

Phoenix was given no time to object, and the thunder edged him on until he was seated in Edgeworth's car, bath towels lining the seat and floor. He let out a sigh of relief as the vents blasted him with hot air, warming his frozen limbs.

Edgeworth got in the driver's side and slammed the door, putting the car in drive and pulling out of the parking lot. "What were you thinking, Wright?"

Phoenix glanced at him, a confused expression on his face. Edgeworth didn't sound angry, but rather… worried.

"I accidentally locked myself outside without an umbrella, and Maya's the only one with the spare. Her phone's dead, so…" Phoenix let his voice trail, shifting in the uncomfortably clingy outfit.

He sighed exasperatedly, sounding like a disappointed father when he spoke. "Why didn't you go home? It's just a little rain, and so long as you can pack a good punch, you could have protected yourself."

Phoenix sighed, letting his head fall back against the seat, eyes drifting shut. "I have this… fear of thunderstorms. Plus, I didn't have a knife or a gun or anything, so I didn't really feel safe walking home."

Edgeworth scoffed, never once removing his eyes from the road. "Yes, because sleeping unprotected outside an office you can't get into is so much safer."

Phoenix's nose wrinkled up, his eyes sharpening. "Why are you here anyways? Doesn't the grand Mr. Edgeworth have more important things to do then pick up a rookie defense attorney in the middle of nowhere?" The words came out of their own accord, and Phoenix looked away instantly, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Edgeworth had just picked him up in the middle of the night to take him home, and he was going to make a comment like that?! "S-sorry, Edgeworth… I'm really tired, and… sorry."

Edgeworth's jaws tightened, though Phoenix couldn't tell what emotion it was tight with, and he glanced at Phoenix for just a split second.

"Do I make you feel like a rookie?"

The question caught Phoenix off guard, and he stuttered a bit, fidgeting with his badge. "Well… yeah…"

The demon prosecutor nodded slowly, his eyes losing a bit of their cold edge. "You're a rookie, Wright. But you're a pretty remarkable rookie."

Phoenix stopped, eyes widening slightly. Coming from Edgeworth, that was a huge compliment. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it…

"Um, thanks…" He rubbed the back of his neck, clearing his throat. "So, um, why did you come get me?"

Edgeworth slowly came to a stop at a red light, tapping the wheel with his index fingers. "I couldn't sleep. I was shocked to learn you didn't have a license, and I didn't know how far away you lived…" Edgeworth cleared his throat, easing his car through the intersection. "And what with the thunderstorm and all… it was only logical to deduce that you were probably miserable, and any human being would offer help to another human being—"

"You were worried about me!" Phoenix laughed, punching him on the arm.

"Gak!" Edgeworth jumped, glaring at him viciously. "That is complete and total conjecture! Ridiculous conjecture at that!"

"You were worried."

"Nonsense!"

"You were thinking about me."

"Sh-shut up!" Edgeworth reached over, giving him a half-hearted slap while keeping his eyes fixed on the road.

Phoenix laughed, jumping away from the outstretched hand, a wide smile brightening his face. "It's been a while since you've shown any emotion towards anyone."

Edgeworth glared at the windshield wipers, both hands taking a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel.

"It makes you seem a little more human, you know."

Edgeworth relaxed a little at that, but he didn't say anything more on the subject. Phoenix watched his expression, picking up several vibes, some of which disturbed him.

_I have a question to ask him… but I can't ask it directly. I'm going to have to slip around it…_

"So, you were practically raised by von Karma, right?" he asked off-handedly, pretending to have changed the subject.

Edgeworth nodded sharply. "Yes, that's correct."

"And what kind of a man was he? Besides a perfectionist, that is."

Edgeworth was quiet for a few seconds, and Phoenix glanced the other way, giving the man some thinking space.

"He was… cold. Always very cold. He never felt much emotion, ran his home like the military, and took quite an odd pleasure in belittling people. He was a killer, as you well know, and all-over he was a very… disagreeable person."

Phoenix nodded slowly. "I see. And he trained you up to be like him, right?"

"Right."

"Which is why you think emotion is weakness."

"Cor—what?!" Edgeworth looked at him quickly, trying to keep his eyes on the road. "Wh-what makes you think that?"

"Why else would you completely shut yourself up inside and never admit that you have feelings?" Phoenix asked matter-of-factly, knowing he had hit the nail on the head.

"Feelings only get in the way," Edgeworth said coolly, turning onto a back road.

"Feelings are necessary for living." Phoenix countered without missing a beat, and Edgeworth said nothing. Phoenix watched him for a while, and then smiled, leaning his head back against the seat. "Wake me up… when we get to my place, okay?"

Edgeworth made some sort of sound that gave a 'yes' sort of impression, and Phoenix allowed his eyes to drift shut.

_I'm so tired… maybe I can give him a call tomorrow… we could get together for lunch and… talk… some more…_

And everything faded into black.

* * *

Edgeworth eased into his garage and stopped the car, turning off the engine and sitting in silence for moment, eyes trained on Phoenix.

_You... fool. Don't you know how dangerous it is to care for people?_

Whether that chastisement was for himself or for Phoenix, he wasn't quite sure, but it was scolding nonetheless. Emotions were such a burden.

"_Feelings are necessary for living."_

"Feh. As if."

Heaving a sigh, Edgeworth got out of his vehicle and went around to the other side, opening the door and nudging Pheonix on the shoulder. The young man jumped and gasped, wiping his eyes and stretching simultaneously. "Wh-what's going on?"

"We've arrived," Edgeworth spoke quietly, not wanting Pesu to hear him and get excited. He was not going to play—he was going straight to bed.

Phoenix looked up at the mansion before him, tired eyes registering some sort of amusement. "Ha… I wish… but this isn't my house."

Edgeworth smirked, grabbing Phoenix's arm and pulling him out of the car. "I should hope so, seeing as it is mine."

Once Phoenix was out, he let him stand on his own, walking over to the door and unlocking it. He glanced over his shoulder, frowning when he saw Phoenix standing there with a dumb look on his face.

"Are you going to stand there in the cold all night?" he asked, holding the door with his free hand and watching the young lawyer expectantly.

Phoenix jumped, walking over and entering into the house hesitantly. "Uh… sorry, I was…zoning."

"Obviously." Edgeworth stepped inside and moved into the kitchen while Phoenix stood on the welcome mat, looking uncomfortable and out of place.

"I'm all wet."

Edgeworth grinned, walking from the kitchen to the stairs. "Yes, I can see that. I'll get you some clothes."

Phoenix groaned softly, and Edgeworth stopped, his foot resting on the bottom stair. "What?"

"Please tell me you own something other than suits?"

Edgeworth jerked, gritting his teeth. "O-of course!"

"No, you don't." Phoenix smirked just like he would have if they were in court.

"Yes, I do!" he insisted.

Phoenix laughed, wagging his finger Edgeworth style. "No, you don't."

Edgeworth stormed up the stairs, repeating his claim over and over until he was out of hearing range. He threw open his closet and glanced at all the different types of attire before finally pulling a cardboard box from the floor and sorting through the contents. "Aha! Jeans and a t-shirt!" Edgeworth grabbed up the articles of clothing and ran down the steps, feeling a little giddy at his victory, though he wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't something to be excited over.

"Take that!" he shouted, jumping down the last three steps and throwing the bundle at his opponent's head.

Phoenix caught the cloths and stared in shock for a moment before bursting into laughter. Edgeworth blushed, hanging his head.

_I forgot there is a very good reason I don't do foolish things…_

Phoenix began to strip off his wet suit, and Edgeworth went into the kitchen, sorting through his teas to find an appropriate drink for the two of them.

_What kind of tea would Phoenix like…?_

"Hey, Edgeworth, where should I put my clothes?"

Not looking up from his tea assortment, he pointed to the laundry room. "Go ahead and put it in there. Hang it on something so it dries."

Phoenix walked into the other room, and Edgeworth heard something hit the floor. He straightened up slowly, peering around the edge of the table in an attempt to see what it was, if anything.

_A checkbook…_

Edgeworth glanced at the laundry room, but Phoenix was pretty preoccupied. So, without further ado, he snatched it up and hid it in his coat pocket, never mind the fact that it was sopping wet.

Phoenix returned to the kitchen wearing his new apparel, a big smile on his face. "Thanks for everything, Edgeworth. I guess… I'll sleep on the couch?"

Edgeworth shook his head. "Nonsense. I have a guest room—it'd be a shame not to use it."

"Oh. Th-thanks…" Phoenix scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, and Edgeworth continued his hunt for the perfect tea, an uncomfortable silence hanging over the two of them.

"So, uh… what are you doing? Looking over some case files?"

Edgeworth smirked lightly. "I'm not all work and no play, Wright. I'm trying to pick a drink."

"Oh…" Phoenix poked his head over Edgeworth's shoulder, gazing into the box with a childlike curiosity. "Have you ever had dandelion tea?"

Edgeworth followed the pointing finger to the yellow packets, and he shook his head. "I have it, but I've never tried it."

"It's really good." Phoenix gave him a big grin, and Edgeworth smiled, pulling out two packets and putting water on to boil.

"You are a toddler, Wright. Are you aware of this?"

Phoenix just laughed. "Gotta have some fun every now and then, right?"

Edgeworth's lips twitched. "I suppose so…"

"You could use more of it, actually." Phoenix's eyes twinkled when he spoke, and Edgeworth could almost see the words 'bad idea incoming' written on his face. "You and I should hang out sometime! Like play videos games and do kid stuff. We'll invite Maya and Pearls and order burgers to go, it'll be a blast!"

Edgeworth shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, yes…. Th-that would be nice…"

Phoenix ignored his obvious discomfiture and continued speaking. "Maybe we could even invite Gumshoe! We'll order something else besides burgers… poor guy never eats. And we'll rent some cool movies, too. Oh, a horror film! I'd like to see you scared outta your socks, Edgeworth!"

The tea kettle began to whistle sharply, and Edgeworth jumped up, running over to get the water.

_Saved by the bell! … A horror flick? I'm already feeling sick…_

Phoenix chuckled softly, watching as Edgeworth made the tea. "Sorry… guess I went a little Maya Fey on you there, huh?"

Edgeworth forced a smile, nodding his head. "Uh-huh."

"But seriously, it'd be really fun to hang outside the courtroom. And you really do need to lighten up."

Edgeworth rolled his eyes, bringing the tea over to the table and sitting down across from the young man. "I'll think about it."

Phoenix smirked. "Cool. We'll do it Friday, then."

Edgeworth choked. "Fr-Friday? But I said I was thinking!"

"Friday." And with that, he took a sip of his tea.

* * *

Edgeworth sighed heavily, watching the numbers on the clock change from 4:59 to 5 a.m. Shaking his head, he returned to the document in his hand, frowning.

_He's really out by a large sum... no matter what ways I cut his spending or try to finagle, I always end up short. He… he really is going to be on the streets by next month._

The prosecutor scowled and looked around his lavish room, feeling a small pang of guilt, even though he knew he had done nothing wrong. If anything, his crime was ignorance.

_Perhaps… Perhaps I can…_

* * *

Phoenix yawned, stepping into his apartment with a heavy sigh. He had eaten a wonderful breakfast with Edgeworth, who apparently was a genius in the kitchen, and then they had played chess until Edgeworth had to go to the courthouse. Phoenix, on the other hand was caseless once again, and had nothing to do that day.

"Hmm… maybe I'll brush up on my piano skills…"

He glanced at the old rickety keyboard and walked over to it slowly, fingering the keys as he sat.

"Huh?"

Something fell from his back pocket, flopping onto the floor with a soft, pattering sound. He looked down at it, frowning when he saw it was his checkbook.

"What the…? Didn't I put that in the desk at the office?" He reached down and picked up the leather-bound nightmare, opening it to see if anything was missing.

He jumped when a slip of paper fell from the book, landing on his lap. He picked it up and flipped it over, eyes widening when he was what it was.

_A check? From Edgeworth? For… For fifteen-thousand?!_

The sight of the number made his head get light and fuzzy, and he began to swoon a little, rubbing his eyes repeatedly to make sure this wasn't some weird hallucination.

"Edgeworth…"

Phoenix's head snapped towards the kitchen as his phone began to ring, and he scrambled to get off of the bench, running into the kitchen and answering. "Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney—"

"Hey, pal! Where are you? Mr. Edgeworth said you'd be on the seen looking for clues twenty minutes ago!"

Phoenix shook his head slowly, confusion creasing his brow. "Wh…what?"

"The case, pal! The case! The trial is tomorrow and you got zero evidence, pal! Get down to the detention center and then come to the crime scene!"

Phoenix stuttered. "R-right! I'll be right there! Sorry!" He slammed the phone down on the receiver and ran for the door, fumbling with his sneakers before bolting out into the hall and locking the door behind him.

_Edgeworth… thank you._

This was one situation where Phoenix would in no way, shape, or form be shouting that famous word… at least not until the trial tomorrow.

"_OBJECTION!"_


End file.
